Carnosic acid protects neuronal HT22 Cells through activation of the antioxidant-responsive element in free carboxylic acid- and catechol hydroxyl moieties-dependent manners.

In a previous study, we found that carnosic acid (CA) protected cortical neurons by activating the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway, which activation was initiated by S-alkylation of the critical cysteine thiol of the Keap1 protein by the "electrophilic"quinone-type of CA [T. Satoh, K. Kosaka, K.

Nitric oxide generation directly responds to ultrasound exposure.

Recently, several reports have been published on ultrasonic vascular dilation produced with relatively low-frequency ultrasound. It has been speculated that nitric oxide (NO) is an important factor for this ultrasonic vascular dilation. However, a quantitative relationship between the ultrasound intensity and NO generation was not clarified in these reports.

Insonation facilitates plasmid DNA transfection into the central nervous system and microbubbles enhance the effect.

Many of the diseases which affect the central nervous system are intractable to conventional therapies and therefore require alternative treatments such as gene therapy. Therapy requires safety, since the central nervous system is a critical organ. Choice of nonviral vectors such as naked plasmid DNA may have merit.